Saturday, September 18, 2004

Former child star Macaulay Culkin has been arrested in the US on drug possession charges.

The 24-year-old actor was jailed on charges of possessing marijuana and a dangerous controlled substance without a prescription, police said.

He and another man were arrested after the car they were travelling in was pulled over in Oklahoma City on Friday.

Culkin, best known for his role in the film Home Alone, was later released after paying a $4,000 (£2,230) bond.

Speeding

A report from Oklahoma County Sheriff's office said authorities confiscated about 17 grams of marijuana from a vehicle in which Culkin was a passenger.

Officers also found 16 milligrams of prescription medications used to control anxiety and seizures, it said.

Their vehicle had been stopped by officers for driving at 70 mph in a 60 mph speed zone and for making an improper lane change.

Captain Jeffrey Becker of the Oklahoma City Police Department said in a statement that police officers, who were given permission to search the car, found marijuana and $3,000 (£1,675) cash in a bag that Culkin said belonged to him.

State charges

Culkin was also allegedly carrying pills, later identified as Xanex and Clonzebam, in his pocket, and admitted that he did not have a prescription for them, the statement added.

"Culkin was transported to the Oklahoma County Jail and booked on the state charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana, and a municipal charge of possession of marijuana," it said.

Both men were later released. Culkin's publicist, Michelle Bega, declined to comment.

Culkin was one of the highest paid child actors of all time when he starred in two Home Alone films in 1990 and 1992.